Lesson #74: The First Time Mina Fasted a Whole Day

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Text: "I honestly don’t remember much from the first day I fasted a whole day during Ramadan. All I can remember is that I was eleven years old and that I spent the whole recess telling anyone who would listen to me that I wasn’t even hungry. But, I do remember Mina’s first day of fasting. She’s five years younger than me so I remember her childhood better than I remember my own.

She was in grade three, so she was about nine I’d say. She had spent the first two weeks of Ramadan saying “That’s it, tomorrow is the day I finally fast.”

My mom thought that she was too young to fast but she didn’t dare confront our firecracker. She can be so hardheaded. My mother was worried that fasting would lead to Mina fainting at school or something like that. She was so tiny still. She looked much younger than her age. Had my mom said “You can’t” It would have been like adding fuel to the fire of my sister’s determination. My mother used a different strategy. Every time Mina said that she was going to fast the next day, mom would say: “That’s a great idea. You can do it my darling.” And the next day, mom would wake up early and put a nice Kelbellouz treat on the breakfast table, in an obvious spot where Mina couldn’t miss it. And it worked! Every morning, Mina would wake up determined to fast, but as soon as she saw the treat, she’d say, “Actually, I’m a little hungry. I’ll fast tomorrow for sure!”

 This reverse psychology strategy worked for a whole two weeks but soon, Mina’s willpower grew bigger than her love for Kelbellouz. 

She did great most of the day but was gassed a few hours before the call to prayer. She slept for a while. We were all very impressed and very proud of her.

Mom did a little ceremony to celebrate. She gave her a lemonade drink called Sherbet with a piece of silver jewelry in it that Mina drank on the roof of our house. 

It was such a beautiful moment. I remember it fondly. "

Thank you for learning new things everyday :)